Wildoak

Wildoak is the story of a young girl, Maggie, finding her voice despite a stutter.

As someone who struggled with a stutter for many years, I found this book to be especially endearing, honest, and moving. Maggie is the kind of hero I needed. I taught 8th grade for many years, and this is the kind of book I would have rushed to put in any student’s hands.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved reading about the interconnectedness between humans and nature, so I feel like Wildoak was written just for me.

It’s 1963, and eleven-year-old Maggie Stephens has a stutter that makes school impossible. Pushed to the brink, her dad sends Maggie to her grandfather’s cottage in the craggy old countryside of Cornwall, where she befriends a snow leopard cub. 

It’s clear that Rumpus is in trouble, and Maggie bravely sets out to help him. Her story is one of speaking up for what’s right, even when everyone else in Rosemullion is against her. 

I loved Wildoak because how the tree communicates with the main character, Maggie, reminds me of how trees inspire me. One of my passions is exploring inter-species communication and human connectedness with plants and animals. 

This book does this in such a tender way, as we empathize with the way Maggie is teased and embarrassed in school due to her stutter. Eventually, Maggie finds the courage to speak up and use her voice on behalf of an endangered snow leopard and an endangered forest. I can really relate to the courage it takes to overcome self-doubt and speak up, as… show more.